Mount Airy in Surry County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Andy Griffith Plaza
Honoring Andrew Samuel Griffith
1926-2012
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
1. The Andy Griffith Plaza Marker
Inscription.
Andy Griffith was a North Carolina icon, actor, musician, writer, and lifelong advocate of the arts. Griffith was born in Mount Airy, North Carolina on June 1, 1926 to Carl Lee Griffith and Geneva Nunn Griffith. He had a humble small-town upbringing and spent much of his time performing on stage at Grace Moravian Church and Mount Airy High School, where he graduated in 1944. In 1949, he earned a Bachelor of Music from UNC Chapel Hill. After graduation, Griffith taught high school music classes in Goldsboro for three years while honing his storytelling and acting skills, notably starring as Sir Walter Raleigh
in the long-running production of the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island. His 1953 comedy recording "What It Was, Was Football" moved him in big-break fashion to the Ed Sullivan Show, and he then starred in "No Time for Sergeants" on TV in 1955. The year 1960 marked the beginning of "The Andy Griffith Show" which ran almost eight years and brought him immense critical and commercial success. "Our basic theme was love," Griffith once said, "and understanding one another, and hoping the best for one another. Love." His portrayal
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of a small-town sheriff on the "Andy Griffith Show" left an enduring impression on the hearts and minds of people who continue to long for a slower paced life where neighbors still care about each other. Is the fictional town of "Mayberry" based on Mount Airy? Andy Griffith once said, "People started saying that Mayberry was based on Mount Airy. It sure sounds like it." He had further success on "Matlock", which ran for nine seasons beginning in 1986. In 2005, Griffith received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, and closer to home, he was one of the first three recipients of the Carolina Performing Arts Lifetime Achievement Awards. Griffith died in 2012 at age 86, and was buried on Roanoke Island.
The Andy Griffith Plaza project was led by Mount Airy Downtown, Inc. in partnership with the Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority, the city of Mount Airy, and Surrey Bank & Trust. The plaza features five hyper-realistic portraits of Andy Griffith by Greensboro street
artist, Jeks. The mural was painted primarily with spray paint and was completed in April 2022. The portraits span Griffith's extensive
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
2. Andy Griffith Mural
career. From left to right: A headshot portrait from the 1958 "Onionhead" film, the second and third images in the middle are headshots from "The Andy Griffith Show" series, the fourth image is a headshot taken in the 1960s; and the final image on the right is a photo of Griffith shown in Toluca Lake, California during a 1987 interview.
Erected 2022 by Mount Airy Downtown, Inc., Mount Airy Tourism Development Authority.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is June 1, 1926.
Location. 36° 30.09′ N, 80° 36.385′ W. Marker is in Mount Airy, North Carolina, in Surry County. It is at the intersection of North Renfro Street (Business U.S. 52) and Moore Avenue, on the left when traveling north on North Renfro Street. The marker is located at the far left of the mural facing Moore Ave. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 199 N Renfro St, Mount Airy NC 27030, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
3. Andy Griffith 1958, from the film "Onionhead"
in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Also see . . . New Andy Griffith Mural Takes Shape. The conception and work on the Andy Griffith Mural.
Mount Airy has long been known as the Granite City but increasingly is becoming Mural
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
4. From "The Andy Griffith Show"
City, including one now being painted downtown of native son Andy Griffith.
And it wont be just one image of the actor who brought fame to his hometown while portraying the sheriff of Mayberry, but the many faces of Griffith which will grace a wall of Surrey Bank and Trust on Moore Avenue. (Submitted on June 1, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
5. Andy Griffith from the 1960s
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 24, 2023
6. Andy Griffith from 1987
Credits. This page was last revised on June 4, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 1, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 386 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 1, 2024, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
